What is a matching and hiring platform?
A matching and hiring platform is a comprehensive solution that helps facilitate the hiring journey from start to finish. In contrast to traditional job boards, matching and hiring platforms allow employers to do more than just post open positions and wait for candidates to apply. They allow you to screen, message, interview and track hiring progress — all in one place. Matching and hiring platforms can also help you find great candidates who meet your requirements by using technology that matches you with potential hires that meet your specific needs.
Matching and hiring platforms like Indeed also provide additional features such as recruiting automation, collaboration tools, advertising and branding solutions, robust data and analytics and the ability to integrate with your existing workflow and tools, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) and calendar apps. These platforms aim to streamline the full hiring process for employers while simplifying job searches for candidates.
What is the difference between a matching and hiring platform and a job board?
Matching and hiring platforms and job boards both serve the purpose of connecting employers with job seekers, but there are a few key differences:
- A job board is a simple tool that displays job listings from various employers in one central location. Employers can post their job openings on job boards for a fee or sometimes for free. When a job seeker applies to your job listing on a job board, it’s your responsibility to manage the rest of the process with your own screening, scheduling and tracking tools. This process can be challenging to manage if you’re posting multiple jobs.
- Matching and hiring platforms, on the other hand, are a more comprehensive solution for employers who are looking to manage their entire hiring process. In addition to job listings, it may offer features such as applicant tracking, interview scheduling, communication tools and pre-employment assessments. Matching and hiring platforms like Indeed may also use machine learning to help match job seekers with relevant job openings based on their skills and experience.
Benefits of using a matching and hiring platform for recruiting
Using a matching and hiring platform like Indeed can help you find the right candidates more quickly and easily, potentially saving you time and money. Here are just a few of the other key benefits of using a matching and hiring platform:
- Wider reach: Matching and hiring platforms allow businesses to reach a larger pool of potential candidates beyond traditional recruitment methods such as print advertising or job fairs. In fact, over
275K job seekers create an Indeed account every day. - Cost-effective: Using a matching and hiring platform like Indeed can be more cost-effective than traditional recruitment methods since you don’t have to use multiple disjointed tools (job boards, spreadsheets, email, etc.). You can also start with a free* job post and then sponsor your job later for better visibility and to unlock other hiring features.
- Positive candidate experience: Hiring platforms also support candidates through the hiring process, providing a seamless experience that can help you encourage positive word of mouth, build a strong talent pipeline and improve job offer acceptance rate. On average, it takes job seekers less than three minutes to complete an application on Indeed.
- Time-saving: Matching and hiring platforms can save you time by letting you automate many aspects of the recruitment process, from automatically sourcing candidates to scheduling interviews, so you can focus on human connections, not busy work.
- Candidate matching: Indeed adapts to your hiring preferences and recruiting activity to recommend high-quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description.
- More collaboration: Using a matching and hiring platform can help you work with others involved in the recruitment process more effectively. On Indeed, for example, everyone on your hiring team can stay on top of the hiring process, from keeping track of who’s applied to sharing feedback after interviews.
*Terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply
12 features of matching and hiring platforms
One of the advantages of matching and hiring platforms is that they offer a range of features to help recruiters and hiring managers find the right candidates for the job. Here are 12 features of matching and hiring platforms that can help you streamline your recruitment process and make better hiring decisions.
1. Job postings: Employers can create and post job listings that are visible to job seekers. Indeed makes it easy for employers to post a job by providing job description templates and guidance on how to compete for top talent.
2. Candidate sourcing: Unlike traditional job boards, matching and hiring platforms typically have a searchable database of candidate resumes that employers can use to proactively find, connect and manage potential candidates for multiple or hard-to-fill roles. Indeed facilitates an average of 94K connections between employers and job seekers each day via its resume database.
3. Candidate matching: Matching and hiring platforms use algorithms to match employers with candidates with the right skills and experience for their job openings.
4. Applicant tracking: On Indeed’s matching and hiring platform, you have tools to track and manage job applications, including each candidate’s resume, cover letter, assessment scores and communications, all in one centralized location. You can also filter and sort job applications based on specific criteria such as skills, answers to screener questions and work experience.
5. Data and analytics: Matching and hiring platforms can provide employers with data and insights on their recruitment efforts, including job posting performance and candidate engagement. On Indeed, you’ll get access to these performance reports and competitive and market analytics by job type and location (e.g., average salaries, top job seeker search terms, number of job seekers per job).
6. Collaboration tools: Employers can collaborate with colleagues and external recruiters on the hiring process, sharing notes and feedback on candidates. For example, on Indeed’s matching and hiring platform, you can give your hiring team different levels of access to your account, forward resumes to your colleagues and share interview feedback.
7. Candidate screening: Indeed’s matching and hiring platform has tools to help employers quickly screen candidates, including skills assessments and screener questions. Jobs with screener questions on Indeed are
8. Candidate connections: Indeed’s matching and hiring platform has tools to help employers message, interview and call candidates. For example, you can call your candidate directly from your dashboard or use our masked phone number feature, keeping your number private. Indeed Interview also allows you to conduct live virtual interviews on Indeed without the need for a separate video conferencing tool.
9. Employer branding: On Indeed, employers can customize their company profile to showcase their brand and company culture. Job seekers who visit your Indeed Company Page are, on average,
10. Tools to standardize interviews: Indeed’s Interview Guide helps you conduct structured interviews that are as consistent as possible. When you ask the same interview questions using the same evaluation process across all interviews, you can more objectively compare candidates.
11. Hiring automation: Through automation, matching and hiring platforms handle the busy work so you can focus on building connections with talent and hire faster. For example, when you opt in, Indeed automates screening of applicants who meet your pre-set quality criteria and automatically schedule an introductory phone or video call. Jobs using Screening and Scheduling automation are 18% more likely to report a hire by day seven. Other hiring automation tools include automated sourcing, rejection emails and resume screening.
12. Integrations with other HR tools: Matching and hiring platforms like Indeed can integrate with other HR tools, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) or HR information systems (HRIS), to streamline the hiring process and improve data sharing. In fact, Indeed integrates with 300+ ATS systems.
Matching and hiring platform FAQs
What platforms do recruiters use to find candidates?
Recruiters use a variety of platforms to find candidates, depending on their industry, target candidate pool and recruitment strategy. Some of the most common platforms recruiters use to find candidates include: matching and hiring platforms like Indeed, niche job boards, applicant tracking systems (ATS), social media, online portfolio platforms (e.g., GitHub, Dribbble), professional association websites and more.
What is the difference between a hiring platform and an applicant tracking system (ATS)?
Hiring platforms and applicant tracking systems (ATS) are very similar in that they both help employers manage their recruitment process. An ATS is often the control center for hiring, helping you sort through large volumes of job applications, track the progress of each candidate, schedule interviews and send automated emails to keep candidates informed about their status.
Matching and hiring platforms like Indeed work similar to an ATS but often include other valuable recruiting features like screener questions, skill assessments, matching algorithms and virtual interviewing tools. If you don’t currently have an ATS, or your ATS isn’t connected to Indeed yet, you can use Indeed as your ATS.
What is a talent marketplace platform?
A talent marketplace platform connects employers with potential candidates for a wide range of roles, from part-time gigs to full-time jobs. These platforms typically allow candidates to create profiles highlighting their skills, experience, education and preferences and then matches them with suitable job openings based on their qualifications.
Unlike matching and hiring platforms, talent marketplace platforms don’t typically include tools to help employers manage the entire hiring process, such as applicant tracking, scheduling and interviewing.
